ACUTE EFFECTS OF KINESIOTAPING ON BALANCE IN SALSA DANCERS

Abstract

Purpose: Non-professional salsa dance is a social, physical activity highly in demand. Since it is a vigorous physical activity, dancers are prone to have an injury during a dance performance, mainly in the ankle joint. In this study, the acute effects of kinesiotaping (KT) on balance in salsa dancers were investigated. Methods: This study was a single-blind randomized placebo-controlled trial, in which a total of 20 amateur salsa dancers (mean age=26.35 +/- 4.74 years), voluntarily participated. Participants were divided into two groups randomly by using a sealed envelope randomization method: KT Group (n=10) and Placebo-KT Group (n=10). A muscle correction technique that covers the ankle and peroneal muscle group were applied to KT Group one day after pre-tests. An I shaped placebo KT application was performed for the Placebo-KT Group. Flamingo balance test (FBT) and the Star Excursion Balance Test (SEBT) were used to assess balance performance. All tests were repeated immediately after the application. Results: In the intragroup analysis of the KT Group, SEBT scores showed a statistically significant increase (p<0.05) while there was no increase in FBT scores (p>0.05). We found no statistically significant difference in the intragroup analysis of Placebo-KT Group and the intergroup analysis of KT Group and Placebo-KT Group for both SEBT and FBT scores (p>0.05). Conclusion: While KT application has been found to be effective in improving dynamic balance, it was not effective in improving static balance performance.